Railroad car construction



March 21, 1939. K. F. NYSTROM RAILROAD OAR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l l K. F. NYSTROM RAILROAD CAR CONSTRUCTION March 21, 1939.

Filed May 22, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imfenr Ovneq illlllkillllillliy Patented Mar. 2l, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 22,

2 Claims.

My invention relates to the method of constructing railroad freight cars, particularly of the type known as automobile cars, and method of constructing railroad passenger cars, of the all steel welded types; and has for its object the Simulation of streamlining, and to provide desirable longitudinal stiiness and hence to eliminate buckling.

The invention relates more especially to the l@ welded type of steel cars wherein the outer side walls consist of steel sheets or metallic plates eX- tending lengthwise of the cars and the sheets or plates provided with outwardly disposed oiisets and corrugations extending lengthwise of the l5 plates.

In the preferred forms, these oir-sets and corrugations are arranged in uniform vertically spaced relation between the top and the bottom of the car sides'and the respective sheets welded 26 or otherwise rigidly secured together at their adjacent longitudinal edges, thereby providing the desired longitudinal stiiness whereby the use of separately attached longitudinally disposed reenforcing stiieners is eliminated.

With the car' outer walls formed as herein stated, having ofi-set portions and corrugations longitudinally disposed throughout the lengths of the sheets, it is obvious that any tendencyto buckle will be conned to predetermined areas; whilel at the same time providing a structure suitable for series electric welding.

The objects and advantages of my invention will all be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings,

35 wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a. portion -of the side wall of a freight car, in perspective, employing my improved method of construction.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view 40 of the adjacent portions of two side wall sheets,

illustrating a method of securing the sheets in Y intimate relation.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, in perspective, of the side wall of a passenger car provided with my improved wall construction.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 3.

My invention, as heretofore stated, relates particularly to railroad cars whose outer walls are of all steel construction composed of steel'plates suitably secured to the car frames; the invention contemplating a minimum number of metal sheets of predetermined width and of length commensurate with the length of the car; the respective sheets being intimately secured together at their 'longitudinal edges, with the longitudinal marginal portions of the sheets formed with reenforcing or stiiener sections.

In Figures 1 and 2 I show an embodiment of `the invention as more especially' intended for 1937, serial N. 144,294

freight cars, wherein the outside wall consists of a preselected number of metal sheets I0, Il, I2 and I3, preferably of length in keeping with the length of the car; with one longitudinal marginal portion of the sheets IIJ, II and I2 off-set or dished outwardly as shown at I4; while the marginal portion of the lower sheet I3 is off-set outwardly as shown at I5. Y

In the exempliiication, four sheets are employed and the off-set margins of the sheets are disposed at the lower edges of the sheets so as to overlap the plain upper marginal portion of the adjacent sheet. That is to say, the flat marginal portion Il of sheet IB is arranged beneath the outwardly off-set marginal portion of the roof side plate I6; While the lower longitudinal marginal portion is gradually bent outwardly at I8 to an extent corresponding with the thickness of the sheets employed so the upper plainmarginal portion 'I7 of the succeeding sheet will be disposed in substantially the same vertical plane as the main body portion of the sheet thereabove, as can more clearly be seen in Figure 2. Immediately adjacent Y l the oli-set or shoulder I8, the sheet is plain and extends in a vertical plane parallel with the main body portion oi' the sheet and hence also parallel and in lapping contact relation with the plain marginal portion of the succeeding sheet, thus providing comparatively wide lapping surfaces suitable for series electric welding, or for other means of effecting intimate connection between the respective sheets as for example by rivets as at IS in Figure 2; the parallel lapped portions being of width 'suiiicient to enable rivets to be used without possibility of improper frac'- ture of themarglnal portions of the sheets.

The oiI-set portion of the sheet immediately below the straight portion 26 is then bowed out into the arcuate portion or corrugation ILL-which extends full length of the sheet and hence length. wise of the car; while the lower longitudinal edge 2l, beneath the corrugation I5, is straight vand arranged in substantially the same vertical plane as the straight portion 2B and is intended to extend parallel and in contact with the subjacent sheet to which it is intimately secured by Welding or by rivets I9, as shown in Figure 2.

The foregoing description of the formationv and arrangement of the lapping marginal portions of two sheets is descriptive of the lapping portions of sheets I0 and Il, Hand I2, and I2 and I3; while the bottom sheet I3, merely has the plain off-set I5,-which is similar to the straight portion 26 of the upper sheets,-arranged parallel and in lapping contact with the upwardly disposed portion of the oor side support rail 22 which extends lengthwise of the car and is rigidly secured to the car side sill 23 the floor side support 22 being provided with the usual furring strip as at 24 -to receive the inner sheathing` 25.

were, by the lapping portion of the subjacent` sheets provide great longitudinal stiffness which eliminates the necessity of employing other separately attached longitudinal reenforcing stifteners or members.

In Figures 3 and 4 I illustrate an adaptation of my invention to an all steel type ofrailroad passenger car wherein the outer side wall involvesfa plurality of windows and consists merely of two runs or metal sheets extending lengthwise of the car and in this instance each provided with two bowed-out portions or corrugations 26 adjacent one of the longitudinal edges of the sheets and Abowed out portions or corrugations 21 adjacent the other longitudinal edges of the sheets.

The bowed out portions or corrugations 26 and 21 of each sheet are identical except that the corrugation 21 is shown arranged somewhat nearer the immediate edge of the sheet in view of its proximity to the windows of the car.

In this form of the invention the off-sets or shoulders I8, as employed in the previously described embodimentfor freight cars, are eliminated and the bowed portions or corrugations 26 and 21 are backed-up or reenforced on the inner sides of the sheets by the steel or metal plates 28, of width slightly greater than the width of the corrugations so as to have the marginal portions of the plates 28 lap the plain vertical portions of the sheets to a suicient extent to permit an intimate fastening of these plates to the sheets; it being understood that the plates extend continuously throughout the lengths of the sheets.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, these plates are preferably integrally united with the sheets by spot we1ding,although the wide marginal lapping of the straight portions will permit the plates to be riveted to the sheets if desired.

In connection with the corrugation 21 immediately above the windows, the reenforcing or stiffening plate 29 rearward of corrugation 21 is made of greater width thanplates 28 and the upper `marginal portion of the plate is bent laterally at substantially right angles toward the inner wall 30 of the car, with the immediate longitudinal' edge then bent upwardly into the ange portion 3l which is arranged in contact with the inner wall 30; this bent portion of the plate 29 thus also constituting a curtain box for the reception of the roll curtains for the respective Windows.

The sheets are made in suitable lengths disposed lengthwise of the car and the abutting edges then butt welded so as to provide continuous unbroken or plain surfaces throughout vthe length of the car sides intermediate of the bowed portions or corrugations; while the corrugations will provide a desirable streamline effect.

In both forms of the invention, the bowedout portions or corrugations are reenforced or stiifened by intimately united plain metal portions, which in the freight car construction are shown asY integral portions of the adjacent outer wall sheets, or, as in the passenger car construction consist of separate plain metal plates. In either instance, the reenforcing portions or feners is eliminated and the construction thus somewhat simplified.

With my invention, extensive fiat surfaces are broken up, so to speak, by the longitudinally extending corrugations; and hence the tendency to buckle, as encountered withv nat sheets or surfaces and particularly when light gauge metals are joined together by riveting or welding,- especially the latten-is overcome and any buckling that might occur is conned to predetermined areas, as is obvious.

It is evident that the number of sheets employed for a car may vary from the number disclosed in the exempliflcations; and that the alternate forms may be applicable to either freight or passenger cars and, therefore, I do not wish to be Aunderstood as limiting myself to the exact embodiment described, as certain modifications are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention What I claim is:

1. In a railroad car construction, the side walls whereof consist of a pair of flat metal sheets disposed lengthwise of the car exterior above and beneath the window-opening, the elongated metal sheets at points removed from their longitudinal edges being outwardly bowed to provide portions of the sheets disposed above and beneath the corrugations to constitute attaching portions on opposite sides of the corrugations, and flat sheet metal plates pf width greater than corrugations of arcuate cross section throughout the lengths of the sheets with flat` the width of the concaved sides of the corru- 2. In a railroad car construction, outer side l walls composed of a plurality of elongated at metal sheets of comparative width arranged lengthwise of the car sides one above the other in lapping relation, each sheet adjacent one longitudinal edge being off-set outwardly to an extent approximating the thickness of the sheets into a flat portion substantially parallel with the main flat portion of the sheet to provide a shoulder at the rear side of the sheet, thence bowed outwardly to provide a corrugation arcuate in cross section extending lengthwise of the car side wall and terminating in a fiat marginal portion disposed substantially in the vertical plane of said first mentioned flat portion ben tween the corrugation and the shoulder, the sheets being arranged with the at longitudinal edge of one sheet rearward of and bridging the corrugation and abutting the shoulder of the adjacent sheet and in lapping relation with the flat marginal portions above and below the corrugation Iof said adjacent sheet and intimately secured to said portions by welding. 

